If you have not yet subscribed to Cooks Illustrated, get on it. It is my go-to source for recipes. Why? Because they're flawless. Every time. America’s Test Kitchen publishes Cooks Illustrated magazine every two months. But you can also access all of the recipes online at www.cooksillustrated.com.
I wouldn't generally describe Cooks Illustrated recipes as simple. Many of them call for unexpected steps and ingredients. Their recipe for turkey burgers, for example, calls for grinding whole turkey thighs and adding beef gelatin. I'm sure it's delicious, but jeez.
Their mashed sweet potato recipe is an exception: 3 ingredients, 1 pot, 30 minutes. I especially love that it doesn't involve a big pot of boiling water. Instead, you simply braise the potatoes with a little butter and heavy cream. I’ve adapted the recipe to make it Whole30 compliant by substituting with ghee and coconut milk. This dish is deeply sweet and satisfying.
I wouldn't generally describe Cooks Illustrated recipes as simple. Many of them call for unexpected steps and ingredients. Their recipe for turkey burgers, for example, calls for grinding whole turkey thighs and adding beef gelatin. I'm sure it's delicious, but jeez.
Their mashed sweet potato recipe is an exception: 3 ingredients, 1 pot, 30 minutes. I especially love that it doesn't involve a big pot of boiling water. Instead, you simply braise the potatoes with a little butter and heavy cream. I’ve adapted the recipe to make it Whole30 compliant by substituting with ghee and coconut milk. This dish is deeply sweet and satisfying.
Coconut Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Yield: 4 servings
This recipe can be doubled in a Dutch oven; the cooking time will need to be doubled as well.
Yield: 4 servings
This recipe can be doubled in a Dutch oven; the cooking time will need to be doubled as well.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons ghee
4 tablespoons coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 large), quartered lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices***
Procedure:
1. Combine ghee, coconut milk, salt, and sweet potatoes in 3 to 4 quart saucepan; cook, covered,
over low heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes fall apart when poked with fork, 35 to 45
minutes.
2. Off heat, mash sweet potatoes in saucepan with potato masher, or transfer mixture to food mill
and process into serving bowl.
2 tablespoons ghee
4 tablespoons coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 large), quartered lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices***
Procedure:
1. Combine ghee, coconut milk, salt, and sweet potatoes in 3 to 4 quart saucepan; cook, covered,
over low heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes fall apart when poked with fork, 35 to 45
minutes.
2. Off heat, mash sweet potatoes in saucepan with potato masher, or transfer mixture to food mill
and process into serving bowl.
*** Cutting the sweet potatoes into slices of even thickness is important in getting them to cook at the same rate. Here are step-by-step pictures:
First, quarter them lengthwise
Then, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
Combine with ghee and coconut milk
Mash when tender
Bonus material: Ghee!!!
Ghee is butter that has been cooked slowly to separate the pure butterfat from the milk solids. Because the milk solids have been removed, ghee has a higher smoke point than butter. It's also the reason ghee is Whole30 approved - the milk solids can cause an inflammatory reaction in those sensitive to dairy.
Try to find "Pasture-Raised" or "Grass-Fed" ghee (and butter). Cows that are allowed to graze on grass produce milk that is higher in heart healthy Omega-3 fatty acids as well as vitamins A and K.
It also tastes better.